Thermoelectric devices (TEDs) are solid-state devices that produce electrical energy when subjected to a temperature gradient, and produce a temperature gradient when subjected to an electric current. The conversion of a temperature gradient into electrical energy is due to the Seebeck effect, and the conversion of electrical energy into a temperature gradient is due to an inverse reciprocal effect known as the Peltier effect. TEDs include both thermoelectric cooling devices (TECs) and thermoelectric generators (TEGs). A TEC (also known as a Peltier device) is a thermoelectric device that transfers heat from one location to another when an electric current is passed through the device, and a TEG is thermoelectric device that generates an electric current when a temperature gradient is applied across the device.
A TED includes one or more pairs of thermoelectric elements (thermoelements) arranged between two substrates having a metallization pattern that electrically interconnects the thermoelements. When operating as a TEG, a temperature difference applied between the two substrates may be used to produce electric current. In some applications, a power system may be comprised of multiple TEGs interconnected together to power a load. A failure in one or more of the TEGs, or the interconnections between them, may negatively affect the electrical power supplied to the load. In order to provide uninterrupted power to the load, it is desirable that the thermoelectric device and the thermoelectric power system be fault tolerant. Embodiments of the current disclosure disclose fault-tolerant thermoelectric devices and thermoelectric power systems. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.